Mayor Roque declares victory in West New York

WEST NEW YORK --Mayor Felix Roque declared victory Tuesday night to a room packed with supporters.

"I'm very happy," he said to the crowd gathered at his campaign headquarters. "I'm so happy because I couldn't deal with that commissioner for another four years."

He was referring to Commissioner Count Wiley. Though there were 19 names on the ballot, mudslinging in the months leading up to the election was primarily concentrated between the two commissioner mayoral contenders. Unofficial results show that Roque's slate--Susan Colacurcio, Gabriel Rodriguez, Margarita Guzman and Cosmo Cirillo--swept Tuesday's election. The results do not include provisional or emergency ballots, which will be calculated later this week, according to the town clerk's office.

The newly elected commissioners will select a mayor among themselves, a choice that is mostly considered a formality at this stage, since the commissioners ran together with Roque pegged as their leader.

A few blocks away on Hudson Avenue, Wiley spoke to a more somber crowd.

"I don't regret it. I'm still here, I'm still a resident of West New York," he said to the group, after conceding that his team hadn't won. "I'm just going to have to pray extra hard for West New York every day."

Wiley told NJ Advance Media that in the wake of his loss, he will focus on areas of his life that have gone neglected due to the election, including his family and his business. He said he's also considering becoming a preacher.

"It's like a new day for me. I've got a good life. I work hard. I guess now I can enjoy the fruits of my labor," he said. "As far as West New York goes, wow. I'm worried."

Roque's unofficial win follows months of public sparring between Roque and Wiley.

Perhaps one of the most unusual moments leading up to the election was in April, when a cartoon of Wiley riding a pastor was distributed in town hall. The drawing incited protests and accusations that Roque was behind the attack, which the mayor denied. A lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Jersey City claimed Wiley's wife lives in West New York but votes in North Bergen. The claims prompted Roque to call for Wiley's resignation. Wiley also accused a Roque supporter of illegally obtaining his son's school enrollment information.

The fighting continued on Tuesday, with allegations that Wiley assaulted Roque's son over campaign signs. Roque claims Wiley shoved his son Joseph into a pole, hurting his neck. Wiley said that Joseph was actually the aggressor and called the incident "political nonsense." Roque said his son has filed a police report, and Wiley indicated that he also plans to file a complaint in connection to the incident.

Even before the election, Wiley and Roque butted heads, the commissioner being one of the mayor's most outspoken critics. In 2012, Wiley spearheaded a petition to recall Roque, as well as commissioners Caridad Rodriguez, Fior D'Aliza Frias and Ruben Vargas. He submitted 6,300 signatures for each, but the town clerk rejected roughly 3,000. A Hudson County Superior Court judge threw out Wiley's appeal of the rejected petitions in January 2014, finding that the signatures weren't valid.

Members of the West New York United slate weren't alone in their disappointment over the unofficial election results. Patrick Cullen, who ran for a seat on his own, said he was upset that he didn't fare better. He also was disappointed that more voters didn't turn up at the polls and that those who did seemed more interested in the "personalities" of the candidates than their stance on issues.

"They were more into the glitz of the visual presentation of posters instead of ideas," he said in a phone interview.

He hopes that some good can emerge from the ugliness of this campaign season.

"The sun is going to rise tomorrow, and the birds are going to sing. And I've still got to live in this town," he said. "I'm not afraid to speak my mind, and hopefully more people will be inspired to do the same."

Roque has been mayor since 2011. He came into power after waging an unsuccessful campaign to recall former Mayor Sal Vega in 2009. He beat Vega in the following election.

He previously served as the director of pain management at Palisades Hospital and director at St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic. He is now the president of West New York's Pain Relief Center. He's been in West New York since age 11, when his family came to the United States from Cuba, according to the town's website.

In his run for re-election, the mayor has stumped on stabilizing taxes, reducing crime, building up youth and senior programs and investing in the town's infrastructure.

But tenure has not been without controversy. In 2012, he and his son were charged with hacking into a political foe's "Recall Roque" website. The elder Roque was ultimately acquitted of all charges, but his son, Joseph Roque, was convicted and sentenced to probation.

After he spoke to supporters, Roque said he wants to dedicate the next four years to a number of projects, including four new town parking lots, a marina on the waterfront and a new military charter school.

"This town is on the right path," the mayor said.

He said that after his team's celebration, he plans to head to the hospital to visit his mother, who is extremely ill.

"Last night, we almost lost her," he said. "Her last wishes were a victory. She said she wants to be there for our swearing in ceremony."

If the circumstances allow, the swearing in ceremony will be held at the hospital, Roque said.